Marriage In Echo

16

Chapter 16

As they drove back, Karan couldn't help but wipe his tears occasionally on his sleeves, his heart heavy with grief. Tiya sat beside him, her gaze fixed on the passing scenery outside the window.

"Can we stop? I want to have ice cream," she suddenly said, breaking the silence. Karan nodded, pulling over in front of an ice cream truck.

She ordered herself a butterscotch flavoured cone and savoured each bite as they sat in the car. As she enjoyed her treat, she noticed a young boy nearby, his eyes filled with longing as he watched her.

"Do you want to have ice cream?" she asked the boy kindly. He nodded eagerly, a shy smile spreading across his face. Tiya bought him a chocolate ice cream, and his joy was evident as he took the first bite.

Tiya's own smile faltered as memories flooded back. "When I was in school, after school hours, parents used to come pick up the kids. Outside the school, there used to be many ice cream stalls. Other parents would buy their kids ice cream, and I used to watch them, wishing I could join in or someone would buy me one" she reminisced with a sad smile.

Karan sucked in a deep breath, his heart pounding with apprehension as he turned to face Tiya. "Tiya... do you regret marrying me? Do... you hate me?" he asked, his voice trembling with uncertainty.

Tiya shook her head gently, her eyes filled with sincerity. "No and no," she replied firmly. "I could never hate you. Even if I wanted to... I could never. You are the reason this heart stopped for the first time. You are the reason I felt alive for the first time," she said softly, her smile radiating warmth and affection.

Karan started driving again, the weight of Tiya's words hung heavy in the air, the quiet hum of the car's engine the only sound between them. Then, in a soft voice filled with bittersweetness, Tiya spoke up.

"I always knew, Karan. I always knew that either one day I would marry you or you would be my biggest heartbreak. I never knew you would be both," she said, her words tinged with a mixture of sadness and affection.

Karan's grip tightened on the steering wheel, his heart constricting with a pang of sorrow at the depth of Tiya's words. He glanced over at her, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, overwhelmed by the magnitude of everything happening around him.

In that moment, as they drove through the night, the road stretching out before them like an endless expanse of uncertainty, Karan knew that no matter what the future held, he would carry Tiya's words with him always, a reminder of the profound impact of the damage he had done to an innocent soul.

As Karan unlocked the door, he found Tiya standing behind him, cradling Timmy in her arms. Her gaze was distant, lost in some unseen realm.

"Karan... Our baby was a…boy," she whispered softly, her voice filled with a mixture of longing and sorrow. "I see him every night in my dreams. He says he is waiting for me."

Karan's heart clenched at her words, the weight of their shared loss pressing down on him like a heavy burden. He took a moment to truly look at Tiya, taking in the lines of sadness etched on her face, the tears glistening in her eyes.

Without a word, Karan took long strides towards her, his heart aching with love and longing. He gently reached out to cup her face in his hands, his thumb brushing away the tears that streaked her cheeks.

And then, unable to resist any longer, he leaned in and captured her lips in a soft, tender kiss. Tiya gasped in surprise, her whole body trembling with emotion as she melted into his embrace.

As Tiya spoke those painful words, Karan felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. He pressed his forehead against hers, their breaths mingling in the space between them as he struggled to hold back his tears.

"Life never stops," Tiya whispered softly, her voice filled with resignation. "I couldn't be your love, Karan. And I hope that one day, you do find your love."

Karan's throat constricted with emotion, the weight of her words hitting him like a tidal wave. He wanted to protest, to cling to her and refuse to let go, but he knew deep down that her decision was final.

With a heavy heart, Tiya started walking towards her room, her footsteps echoing in the silence of the house. But before she disappeared from view, she turned back to face him.

"Don't sneak into my room," she said, her voice firm but tinged with sadness. "I know you always slip into my room in the middle of the night, thinking I am sleeping. But I'm not sleeping, Karan. My cancer doesn't let me sleep."

Tears welled up in Karan's eyes as he listened to her words, the realisation of her pain cutting him to the core. And then, with a final plea, Tiya whispered, "Please leave tomorrow, Karan."

He nodded, his heart heavy with sorrow as he watched her disappear into her room. He knew that he had to respect her wishes, no matter how much it pained him to do so. And as he stood there alone in the quiet of the house, he was only left with regret and heart shattering pain.

As Karan lay awake in the darkness of the night, his eyes fixed on the glowing screen of his phone, his heart ached with longing as he gazed at the picture he had taken earlier that evening. In the photo, Tiya was smiling, her eyes filled with warmth as she played with Timmy, their beloved golden retriever. The sight of her happiness brought both solace and agony to Karan's shattered soul.

A wave of despair washed over him, threatening to drown him in sorrow as he felt the weight of his helplessness crush him. "Please God," he whispered, his voice barely above a hoarse murmur. "Tiya... she deserves to live. Don't take her away from me."

Tears streamed down his cheeks as he fought the urge to howl and cry until no tears were left. He clenched his fists in frustration, his heart wrenching with the agony of watching his beloved wife slip away before his eyes.

Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering pierced the stillness of the night, jolting Karan out of his despair. Fear and adrenaline surged through him as he quickly got up and retrieved a gun from his suitcase, his mind racing with thoughts of protecting his wife from potential intruders.

Heart pounding, Karan cautiously made his way towards the source of the noise, the light from the kitchen guiding his path. But as he entered the room, his blood ran cold at the sight that greeted him.

There, lying on the floor, was Tiya, her body wracked with tremors as she struggled to draw breath into her lungs. "Tiya!" he screamed, the sound tearing from his throat in a gut-wrenching cry as he fell to his knees beside her, his hands reaching out to touch her trembling form.

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Does Karan deserve a second chance with Tiya?

Hare Krishna